The girl students of Government Girls Residential School for Scheduled Cast and Neo Buddhists, Rajadahegaon, in Bhandara district, got a chance to live their childhood dream of flying in an airplane when their school planned an educational trip to visit Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota with help of Department of Social Justice, Government of Maharashtra. The girls met the press upon their return and shared their experience in an event held at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samajik Nyay Bhavan on Friday. Babasaheb Deshmukh, Regional Deputy Commissioner, Nagpur Division, was present for the event along with Dr Sachin Madavi, Assistant Commissioner, Bhandara; Narendra Mendhe, Principal of the school; and Yograj Savarbandhe. The girl students visited The Satish Dhavan Space Center at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, the launch pad of most of India’s space missions like Chandrayaan, and Mangalyaan among countless others. Babasaheb Deshmukh, in his address, said that the tour was organised to improve scientific temperament among the students, to provide them with a new perspective about life, and to emphasise the importance of dedicated work to achieve success. A batch of 40 girls with their Principal and teaching faculty left on the tour on April 7, flagged off by Narendra Bhondekar, Member of Legislative Assembly

 

(MLA) from Bhandara, along with Dr Sanjay Kolte, District Collector, Bhandara. Arya Dongre, a 10th class student from Sarpewada in Bhandara district described the visit to Sriharikota as an inspiring experience. “At the space station, we visited the control room we see on television during the launch operations. We also visited the launch pad from where the satellite launches take place. We also got to see the refueling operation for upcoming GSLV satellite launch from the facility. Watching all this inspires me to go to space one day like Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams,” stated Arya. The highlight of the tour for the girls, though, was the airplane ride. The girls who had only seen an airplane as toys, in pictures, or as tiny moving objects with chemtrails behind them, got to fly on not one but two airplanes in a single tour. Their journey comprised of a connecting flight plan, one from Gondia to Hyderabad on a 80-seater plane, and another on a 180-seater bigger plane from Hyderabad to Chennai. Anjana Anil Gajbhiye, a Std IX student and a daughter of a farmer, was overwhelmed by just watching the airplane on the ground. She said, “Initially, I was hesitant for the plane ride due to fear of plane crash, but with support from my teachers and classmates, I got ready for the flight.

 

It was overwhelming to see the plane on the ground.” The students also got to learn the pre-boarding activities on ground like getting boarding pass, and clearing security check with help of airport authority staff at Gondia airport. At Hyderabad airport, they learned to navigate escalators with confidence. The tour also comprised of sightseeing of Chennai city that included a visit to iconic Marina Beach. The Department of Social Justice and the Principal of the school expressed their confidence that initiatives such as this will help student to grow in confidence, expand their horizons, and will help them dream big. They also said that success of this initiative will increase citizens confidence in government schools and encourage them to admit their wards in government schools.